Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Sell"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Autohome from “hold” to “sell.” Analyst views remain mixed, but MarketBeat reported an overall “Hold” consensus and an average price target of $19.95.
• Autohome beat quarterly estimates, reporting earnings of $0.36 per share versus $0.29 expected and revenue of $196.12 million versus $189.93 million expected.
• Despite the quarterly beat, revenue was down 26% year over year.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.50 target price on shares of Autohome in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Autohome from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Autohome from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America cut Autohome from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.95.

Autohome Price Performance

ATHM opened at $22.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 0.36. Autohome has a 1-year low of $15.57 and a 1-year high of $25.22. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $21.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.04.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The information services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.07. Autohome had a return on equity of 4.44% and a net margin of 17.05%. The business had revenue of $196.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Autohome will post 1.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Bibo Xiang sold 5,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total transaction of $29,560.52. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 56,780 shares in the company, valued at $300,366.20. The trade was a 8.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Quan Long sold 34,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.29, for a total transaction of $181,976.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 175,984 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $930,955.36. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 49,304 shares of company stock worth $260,818 over the last ninety days. 5.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autohome

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Autohome by 119.4% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,256 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 2,860 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new position in shares of Autohome in the first quarter worth about $184,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Autohome during the 1st quarter worth about $834,000. Oldfield Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Autohome by 20.3% during the second quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP now owns 49,800 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 8,400 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Autohome by 35.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 72,460 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,259,000 after buying an additional 18,871 shares in the last quarter. 63.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Autohome Company Profile

Autohome Inc NYSE: ATHM operates an online automotive platform serving consumers, automobile manufacturers, dealers and other industry participants primarily in China. Through its websites and mobile applications, the company provides information and digital tools to help users research vehicles, compare models, read reviews, explore pricing and connect with sellers.

The company's services include automotive news and editorial content, vehicle specifications, user-generated discussions, professional evaluations, sales-lead generation and online marketing solutions.

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